Facebook: Your Ads Are Starting to Annoy Me

Several months ago, I was bored and trolling through Facebook when I see something quite surprising to the right of my screen: an advertisement for an abortion clinic. Now, from what I've always understood about the way Facebook ads work is that they're tailored to your personal likes, information, and browsing habits, etc. Again, that's the way it's always been explained to me. If that is the case, then when have I "liked" a page for abortions or done an internet search for abortions? Oh, wait, could it be the search I did while researching Planned Parenthood earlier this year during the Presidential campaign in an attempt to discover the real truth behind the extent of their federal funding? That could be a possibility. Either way, it got me thinking of the efficacy of Facebook ads.

I've noticed for some time now that the ads I and friends of mine frequently see don't seem to be about products or services that interest us. I could care less about the local wedding expo since I'm never getting married. Nor do I have any desire to get a concealed to carry permit certification since I will never have a reason to buy a gun. I have never displayed any interest in these types of things on my Facebook account. That being said, just why are they being marketed to me? It makes zero sense that you would advertise products and such to people that don't fit your target demographic. Where's the marketing research in terms of these ads? Apparently, Facebook seems to think they can operate like endcaps and impulse aisles in supermarkets. They aren't doing themselves any favors, only diluting their "product" and ruining the reputation of Facebook.

Techcrunch recently did an article about the current advertising practices on Facebook. I agree that Facebook should look into connecting their users with possible advertisers in a more effective manner. I disagree with the idea of having an "ad-free" option for users, assuming that users will actually care enough about ads to fork over 10 bucks to Mark Zuckerberg every month. That also defeats the purpose of revamping your ad practices. Personally, I miss the days of ad-free Facebook. When my newsfeed wasn't clogged with advertisements for For Eyes and Dicks Sporting Goods because someone on my friends list liked those pages. Unfortunately, those days are long gone because the site that so many people love needs to make money somehow. Until Facebook finds another way to generate revenue without inconveniencing their users, we're stuck with ads selling AARP services to a 31 year old!